SPOILERS: Surprise assault arrest for Coronation Street character

A well-known Coronation Street character is to be arrested for assault - and it's one of the last ones you'd expect…

Coronation Street's Roy Cropper is to be arrested for assault.

The beloved ITV soap character, played by David Neilson, is to snap after weeks of being tormented by a local gang and will lash out at an intruder who breaks into his café, the Daily Star newspaper reports.

After hearing someone moving around in Roy's Rolls, he takes a bat downstairs and begins swinging wildly at the burglar, who he is shocked to discover is neighbour Gary Windass (Mikey North).

Despite Gary having broken into the café to steal cash from the till to pay for his child's Christmas presents, Roy is overcome by guilt and pleads with the judge to send him to jail after he is charged with assault and given 100 hours' community service.

Roy says: "The legal system has proven that it's totally inadequate.

"It's not right at all, there was a security guard charged with actual bodily harm and got a 10-month sentence. I've committed a violent crime, I deserve to be in prison."

However, Roy's neighbours are to jump to his defence, insisting Gary got what was coming to him.

Chesney Brown (Sam Aston) says: "Roy is a decent bloke. If Gary hadn't been breaking in this would never have happened."

Busybody Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) adds: "That lad has been nothing but trouble."